New guy from Massachusetts

hello All,

this forum is filled with lots of useful information and i'm grateful to all who contribute to it.

a lil bit about myself. i love the outdoors, between fishing and backpacking i can't seem to get enough of either and the combination of the two is my ultimate pleasure. i love cooking backcountry trout over a fire.

i figured hunting is a natural progression and something i've wanted to get into for a while but i've always said, i wanna do it with a bow only.

i went to cabelas and got fitted with a new 2013 PSE Brute X (i haven't bought it yet). having only ever shot a bow and arrow in boy scouts (i was ok then) i paid very close attention to a gentleman there who was very helpful. unfortunately his name escapes me but when i got up to the line and he measure my draw length and gave me a few quick pointers i was able to graze arrows next to each other on target at about 10 yards away, i know its close but still... guy said i had good form, all i was doing was paying attention.

i want to try out other bows even though i liked the brute a lot. i was wondering also if there were any local clubs that i could go to and finally, i can't seem to locate any good archery shops near me except one in chicopee, MA.

any other suggestions for a guy like me just starting out? i wanna hunt deer and hopefully turkey at some point even if i have to wait a year or so to refine the craft some more.

Nothing better than the outdoors. Sounds like your off to a good start. Be sure to shoot a few different bows to make sure its the bow for you. Nothing worse than shooting a bow that don't fit proper. Good luck not becoming addicted like the rest of us.........

Welcome

I've just recently started shooting a bow. I found cabelas a good place to see a variety of bows. I have also learned pro shops from the different manufactures are a trove of information. What I would do is get on the bowtech, mathews, pse, and Hoyt websites and use the find a dealer option. Shoot them all and figure out what fits u best. Definitely have a budget in mind before u go. The add equipment release, arrows, case, can run anywhere from 150-xxxx depending on what u want to spend. And the bows can range from 350 with a package all the way to 13-1500 for a Hoyt carbon express bow alone as an example. If I left out any other brands its cause I'm not familiar with them. I'm sure people will help with that. Also look at the equipment your getting with the bow. The site and rest make dramatic differences. While skill is the majority of archery if you have a sight and its pins are bigger than the target get you are shooting ultimately your setting yourself up for a harder time. This is a problem I ran into. A few extra dollars spent is well worth it in my opinion. Most important is find a club on here. Use the search. Experience always seems to outweigh reading on a manufactures site, especially if you are new and don't know what right feels like yourself yet. I e read most of the sites now and honestly can't tell the difference of why certain bows feel certain ways. The experienced can walk you through why certain bows act differently. Another thing I've been told is that the speed of the bow is normally a lie. They use arrows so lightweight to test the bows you'd never hunt with them. Talk to the folks that repair bows and figure out the better equipment. When I was looking for a new rest I was set on the qad drop away. When the guy at the pro shop showed me the repair records for them I decided on a ripcord code red saving myself future aggravation. Ok now that I've written a book ill stop. Most importantly have fun and be happy with what u get. Welcome to the community and archery. Ohh and your gonna be hooked, I almost guarantee it

I can't help you with shops out that way because I barely get out of my own town lately. I know of a shop in Belchertown and a club that hosted a Rhinehart shoot in Palmer Ma, that's about it. The shop was on the main drag from the center of Belchertown and heading north. Don't recall the name, but they had plenty of bows, guns, and fishing stuff. Found it when I did a Quabbin resiviour hunt.The club was nenamessic or something like that. It looked like an active club with a field range also.
I agree with everyone else as far as shoot every bow you can before you buy. You want to be comfortable and confident with your purchase.

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